Vanilla Cashew Milk and Oat Milk… alternatives to dairy milk

I’ve been on a soy milk kick lately, adding it to my coffee, to my cereal, or to some soups. I just love that vanilla soy milk. I also bought a carton of oat milk the other day just to try something new. It was pretty good. And, it got me thinking that I could make something like this. So, Vanilla Cashew Milk and Oat Milk… alternatives to dairy milk was created.

Homemade Vanilla Cashew Milk. Creamy, full of flavor. A great vegan alternative to dairy milk without any weird preservatives or added sodium or sugar.

So, after a little research and some experimenting, here are some milk alternatives. Great for vegan cooking or drinking. Great if you’re trying a raw food diet (the cashew version). Or, even if you’re doing a month of unprocessed eating. They don’t take long to make, just a little while to soak.

The Cashew Milk was simply fabulous, and I’d have a glass of this straight from the fridge! It has a nice flavor and a full body. It was wonderful in my iced coffee. And, if I don’t drink it all, I’ll try it in some baked goods. It would be good with any nuts that you might want to try, specifically, almond or hazelnuts would be great. I bet pine nuts would be tasty (but expensive). I also want to try making some Chai Tea with the cashew milk. I think that’ll be wonderful.

The Oat Milk wasn’t quite as good straight (it tasted like drinking cold oatmeal), but it will be perfect for baking. It has a really thick rich consistency. And, it thickened in the fridge. So, I’ll thin it a little by adding more water when I’m ready to use it.

Oat Milk. You can see how thick this one is. It’ll be great for baking!

Both milks will separate when stored in the fridge. So, just give ‘em a stir before you use them.

And, those solids that you strain out, well, don’t throw them away. They’ll be great in baked treats like cakes and breads. I’m going to use the solids in a chocolate cashew quick bread.

The solids that were left after straining out the milk for the cashew milk. These’ll be great added to my chocolate cashew quick bread.

These oat solids will also be added to some baked goods; they’ll add nice moisture.

Place cashews in a medium bowl, and cover with water. Soak cashews 8 hour or overnight.

Drain cashews and place in a blender with 4 cups of fresh water, maple syrup, and vanilla. Process until smooth. Pour mixture through a fine sieve, and press solids to extract all the liquid. Reserve solids for another use.

Refrigerate in a covered container until ready to use or drink.

Recipe Notes

Makes about 4 cups of milk

This is what the cashews look like after soaking overnight. You can see that some of the fat has come out and is floating on the water. The cashews themselves are very soft and pliable.

Place oats in a medium bowl and cover with water. Soak oats 8 hours or overnight.

Once oats have completed soaking, drain and rinse with clean water. Place oats and 1 cup fresh water in a small pan. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until oats are soft, about 35-40 minutes. Check water level as the oats cook. If they begin to dry out, add ½ cup water, and continue to cook. Turn off heat, and allow oats to cool.

Place cooked oats and their cooking liquid in a blender, and process until smooth. Pour mixture through a fine sieve, and press solids to extract all the liquid. Reserve solids for another use. Add maple syrup and vanilla to oat milk, and stir to combine.

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Hello! I'm Debi, the girl behind Life Currents where I write about mainly healthy vegetarian dishes. My husband eats meat, so occasionally I share some of his dishes as well. And, I'll share tasty treats and projects that we do. Read More…